The two RMs teamed up to establish a volunteer fire department to provide wildland firefighting services to residents and ratepayers of both municipalities, in addition to mutual aid to neighbouring areas. Erica Peterson, the chief administration officer for the RM of Souris Valley, said it was a long process to establish the fire department, but they work together to cover the large area. “In 2019 we had so many more calls than 2020, because 2019 was so much drier,’ said Peterson. “We’ve had everything from pasture fires to combine fires to vehicle fires on the highway. We’ve had a little bit of everything.”